Sportswriter Drew Ellis examines the rivalry between Michigan State and U-of-Michigan. Impartial to both, he will judge who is a step ahead or behind both on the football field and on the basketball court. Join in on the debate and follow him on Twitter @ellisdrew

Prediction: Michigan
State appears to be back to a full lineup with Dawson returning. Though Appling
is still battling his wrist injury, the Spartans may not get any healthier than
this. It’s been a long week since the loss to Michigan on Sunday and the
Spartans need to take care of business at home against a below-average Illinois
team. With Iowa and Ohio State on the horizon, this is the easiest game left on
MSU’s schedule. A loss could severely impact MSU’s seeding for the NCAA
Tournament. Illinois is riding a two-game winning streak, and I do expect MSU
to be a little rusty out of the gate, but the Illini shouldn’t pose much of a
threat to Michigan State. The Spartans are better on paper and should be better
on the court. Michigan State 72,
Illinois 60

Wednesday, February 26, 2014

It wasn’t a surprise to see Mark Dantonio get a contract
extension and bump in pay following this past football season.

It also probably wasn’t a tough decision for Michigan
State to make.

On Tuesday, details
of Dantonio’s new deal came out and the Spartans’ head coach is now going
to be making $3.64 million annually and his assistants are also seeing pay
increases. Most notable of the assistants is defensive coordinator Pat
Narduzzi, who will now be the highest-paid assistant in the Big Ten at $904,583
per year.

Following MSU’s Big Ten Championship, Dantonio’s name
popped up as a potential replacement for Mack Brown at Texas, but he quickly
shrugged off those rumors. Now, Spartans fans shouldn’t have to worry about
Dantonio leaving.

When Dantonio started in East Lansing, there wasn’t a lot
to be excited about in terms of a national outlook. That has completely changed
in his seven seasons with the Spartans.

It took some time, but Michigan State is now a Big Ten
and Rose Bowl champion and Dantonio has turned East Lansing into a destination
job, at least for him. Michigan State and Mark Hollis has also decided to make
MSU a destination job, putting Dantonio near the top 10 in the country in terms
of pay.

Pat Narduzzi sticking around is also a big key. The
defensive coordinator passed up more money and a chance to lead his own program
to stay with MSU for at least another season. Who knows what Dantonio and
Narduzzi have discussed about future plans, but it is clear that Narduzzi
recognizes something within the program. He doesn’t see the momentum train
stopping anytime soon, thus damaging his chances to one day lead a program.

The success of the 2013 season was something Michigan
State fans had been longing for for quite some time. Now the expectations have
been raised and have changed in East Lansing. Time will tell if Dantonio can
sustain this type of success, but the university has made it clear that it is
going to do what it can to help him do just that.

Prediction: On
paper this looks like it should be an easy win for Michigan, and it very well
may end up being just that. However, this is an important game for the
Wolverines. Coming off the big win at home against Michigan State, the
Wolverines need to avoid a letdown on the road against a Purdue team that is
desperate for a win against a marquee team. On paper, this is a great matchup
for Michigan as the Boilermakers have been very shaky on defense. The
Wolverines should be able to score points at will if they are prepared to play.
Purdue can do its fair share of moving up the court as well, but the Wolverines
don’t need a strong defensive effort to outscore the Boilermakers in this game.
Michigan hasn’t won back-to-back games since beating Purdue at home back on
Jan. 30. With the Big Ten in their hands, the Wolverines have a favorable
four-game stretch to end the season. Now the team just needs to go out and take
care of business and not tighten up. I suspect Michigan takes care of business
tonight. Michigan 76, Purdue 67

About Me

I work for The Oakland Press as a sports writer and copy editor. I cover college football along with some prep sports. I spent six years covering Central Michigan University football, men's basketball, and baseball for The Morning Sun in Mt. Pleasant.